The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage fastback equipped with its original 428cid Cobra Jet V8

The Mustang Mach 1 was introduced for 1969 with much celebration from the muscle car crowd, especially when fitted with the optional 428cid Cobra Jet V8 that was conservatively rated at 335 horsepower. Even so, there was some doubt whether the Mach 1 could actually reach the 767 mph speed of sound.

No matter. The Mach 1 was indeed fast, and with Mustang’s restyling for 1969, which added nearly 4 inches to the front end, the new model joined the collection of six performance Mustangs: GT, Boss 302, Boss 429, Shelby GT350, Shelby GT500 and the Mach 1.

Rear-window louvers were fashionable in 1969

The Pick of the Day is a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1, one of the Sports Roof fastbacks optioned with the 428 Cobra Jet, a high-torque acceleration beast with 440 pound-feet on tap. The California black plate spells it out: 69 CJ.

The Anaheim, California, dealer advertising the Mustang on ClassicCars.comsays the car is a preserved factory original with just a repaint in the original color and 58,275 actual miles on its odometer. It even has its original AM radio.

The 428 Cobra Jet V8 churns prodigious amounts of torque

“This is one of the best unrestored 69 Mach 1’s in existence,” the seller says in the ad. “It also comes with the Marti Report which confirms, other than the tires, this Mach 1 is exactly as it came from the factory.”

The Mustang is equipped with an automatic transmission and 3:50 rear axle, plus the high level of standard equipment that came with the Mach 1 performance package. The intimidating styling really hit the spot at the time, with scoops, spoilers and those rear-window louvers, which were very trendy in 1969.

The low-mileage Mustang shows a clean original interior

While the Mach 1 428 gained a solid reputation as a straight-line racer, there was some controversy over its handling; nearly 60 percent of the weight bias was over the front wheels. Rear-wheel burnouts were shamefully easy, especially when they were unintentional. Spinouts, too.

But as a classic muscle machine from the right era, the Mach 1 is hard to beat. And while most of these cars were beaten into the ground by the hooligans who drove them, this one is very special in its apparently unscathed, low-mileage, original condition.